Plaquemines Parish : We Do It For Love
Chris Sheard
I convinced Andy to stay with us in the volunteer quarters that night. I couldn’t stand the thought of him being alone in a FEMA trailer. Deep down I think he felt the same but was too humble and kind to ask. So we decided to go back to site, which strangely and suddenly felt like home. But first we stopped at his house to pick up a change of clothes.
Andy’s property very obviously used to be beautiful. It was a big red house with wide windows, second floor balcony, and a willow tree out front that was just made for kids to climb. The front was completely blown off, although Andy had restored much of the roof. Inside, the second level floor was collapsing, as were a few of the walls on the first floor. The most haunting thing though were the wind-chimes on the back porch. Standing there, pristine and beautiful they survived the storm unscathed while seemingly every other part of the house crumbled around them.
-Boy those things were going crazy, Andy said to me.
How about that? I picture him there during the hurricane and the chimes singing out to him:
-Boy you’re in for some shit now!
Then as the storm picks up:
-Hohoholy shit Andy! Oh boy, whooooh! Whoooh!
Then as it died down saying:
-Whew. God damn. Well...what now?
I don’t know if that’s comforting or haunting. Picture those chimes at your grandmother’s house, or wherever they would bring up pleasant memories. Now imagine that same sound in that same house, if it was demolished, along with most everything you had in it, all your pictures, and heirlooms, and memories. Everything gone but the wind-chimes, unconsciously and emotionlessly blowing in the breeze.
I’m very thankful to life that Andy wasn’t alone that night, having a panic attack in a FEMA trailer parked next to his demolished home. Who knows what puts us where and when and why and all that? Most of the time I don’t give it much thought but I think back to that night and I don’t know what to feel but thankful.
By the time Andy was in the tent and sleeping it was after 4am. Seeing as how I had to be up at 5:30 to make breakfast I figured there was no point in sleeping so I took whatever piss coffee was left in the pot, got some smokes and sat in the rocking chair out front to watch the storm.
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